Macopinion

The Road Warrior Mailbag - August 6, 2007

Jaguar question
re: Finessing The Computer Depreciation Game
Finessing The Computer Depreciation Game
Finessing Computer Depreciation
A Question and A MacObservation

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Jaguar question

Hello Charles,

Greetings from down under. Hope this finds you well.

I have a question for you about OSX 10.2. Do you think that it is still a viable OS. I have a copy of 10.2.3 that I was thinking of putting on a clamshell 466 and an iBook 500 dual USB. The biggest issue was finding a decent browser for this OS. The only current one I have managed to find is Firefox. Do you know what is the most reliable/stable version of 10.2 ?

Also, does 10.2 take up less disk space than 10.3 ? and how do you rate 10.2 against 10.3 ? Both machines have measly 10 gig HD's with 384 RAM , so less is definitely better !

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards

Clive

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Hi Clive;

OS 10.2 Jaguar is still a very capable operating system, although many newer applications have stopped supporting it.

However, if you don't have need of one of them, Jaguar can still do a good job for you, although I am more partial to OS 10.3 for older, slower systems that will supportn it because it's significantly faster, has more features, enjoys much broader application support, and if I recall correctly doesn't require a whole lot more hard disk space.

That said, a bird in the hand.....

Since you already have a 10.2 installer, by all means go for it. Should run just fine on your iBooks (but add some more RAM if you can manage it). I do suggest that you also download the OS 10.2.8 Combo updater (free) from Apple's software support site, as that it the defining version and there are quite a few third-party applications that cut off support at lower than 10.2.8.

Charles

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Re: Jaguar question

From Clive Stuart

Thanks very much for that Charles. I installed 10.2.3 on my sisters clamshell 466. She was previously using 9.2.2 and thinks she has a new computer! She's very impressed with the look of it. I have put the latest version of Firefox on so that is a big improvement on Internet Explorer for 9.2.

I'm using 10.3.9 on my Pismo and it is terrific. The only issue I have is the modem clock on the taskbar. When you click "connect" It takes about 3 go's to get it to respond. Have you come across this issue before ?

best regards

Clive

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Hi Clive;

Glad the Jaguar install went well. Don't forget to download the OS 10.2.8 Combo updater and bring it up to the ultimate Jaguar spec.

As for the Pismo menubar modem issue, both of my Pismos get frequent "misfires" when activating the modem. My abiding suspicion is that Apple didn't place a whole lot of emphasis on optimizing modem performance in OS X, and of course they no longer ship internal modems in new Macs. OS 9 modem response is much more refined.

However, it always works with a couple or three tries. Seems no better or worse in Tiger than it was in Panther.

Charles

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re: Finessing The Computer Depreciation Game

From Dave Barnes

Charles,

You wrote: "The prospect of $5,000 or more in equity value evaporating as soon as I drive it off the dealer's lot is a powerful deterrent." That is just plain wrongheaded.

This article makes the point.

Driving the Lemon Myth Off the Lot
"In fact, the widespread perception that a new car loses substantial value as soon as a buyer drives it off the lot is really just a myth, as we shall see."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,290898,00.html

Dave

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Hi Dave;

I'm a fan of FOX News and a BIG fan of John Lott, but I'm unconvinced by his argument in this instance.

What I would suggest is buying a new car, driving it for a day or two, then attempting to trade it in or sell it and get your cost of purchase back. While $5,000 is a convenient round number, and maybe closer to reality here in Canada where the average new vehicle goes for about CAN$30,000 as opposed to somewhat less in dollar value in the U.S., I'm strongly convinced that you will drop equity by a number in the $thousands at least. Keep the car for six months and you'll be down by a lot more, unless it happens to be a model in high demand and short supply, in which case you might make money.

Getting back to my central point, I've owned more than 50 automobiles over the past 40 years, all of them purchased used, and I've suffered relatively little from depreciation. Concrete examples:

1973 Dodge Polara, purchased for $1,000, driven 18 months, ad received $900 on a trade-in allowance.

1977 Dodge D-100 pickup, purchased for $3,200, driven for six years and received $1,200 as a trade-in allowance.

Current vehicle, 1990 Toyota Camry, purchased for $2,400, driven (so far) nine years, estimated residual value $1,500.

Incidentally the total repairs for these three vehicles cumulatively during a 16 plus years of use would be well under $1,000 total.

Charles

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Finessing The Computer Depreciation Game

From Robert Morgan

Hi Charles, enjoyed your article this week.

I agree with all your conclusions but would like to make one point that you didn't address. If you make your living using computers, the original cost and the ongoing depreciation is absolutely miniscule compared to the equipment you'd need to buy in most other professions. With that in mind, it's hard to argue against buying new and having the latest and greatest, when one will be using the computer every minute of every working day.

Having said that, and having followed that practice for a long time, I find that I don't need to replace my Rev A Macbook Pro, bought the first day they were announced. It's just too good. With a big Cinema display, bluetooth keyboard & mouse, for the first time ever I don't miss having a dedicated desktop.

- Robert

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Hi Robert;

Thanks for your comment.

I probably average 10 hours per day (or more - gak!) on my Macs, but so far I'm entirely satisfied working on a 1.33 GHz G4 PowerBook. In fact I usually put in 2-3 hours daily on my 550 MHz G4 upfraded Pismo,

My criterion for system upgrades is when I'm beginning to be significantly slowed down by my computer. With my preceding number 1 production Mac, a 700 MHz iBook, the tipping point was at about 2.5-3 years. I'm just closing on 18 months with this PowerBook (purchased refurbished), and have no complaints so far about performance, although I probably won't make it past the three -year mark before finally moving up to an Intel 'Book.

Charles

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Finessing Computer Depreciation

From cdonovan

It's great to see a smart user realizing the value in sitting out that first year or two of massive depreciation. Obviously, there is a whole cottage industry built up around selling used PCs, laptops and IT hardware. My firm sells $$,$$$,$$$s inused servers to clients that don't want to pay full price to Sun, HP or IBM on the enterprise level. These aren't just small businesses buying used gear either, Fortune500s rampantly buy used equipment, too.

Like you, I like the latest model for my main work PC, but for home and the kids, I buy something a year or two older and save.

cdonovan
http://www.vibrant.com
http://www.vibrant.com/used-servers.php

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A Question and A MacObservation

Dear Mr. Moore;

Recently, I have come into a deeper understanding of the sacrifice Christ made for us, and I have to ask directly - are you 'Born Again'?

O.K., now that's out off my chest, here's my Mac-related iQuestion;
My wife LOVES watching this T.V. Show called 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'. I've noticed whenever they feature a laptop, suspiciously looks like an Apple TiBook. Doubtless because of the fear of camera-glare, they obscure the Mac Logo. Are there copyright legalities or just REFUSAL to give Macs credit?

Thank You Mr. Moore!

With love in Christ,
Anthony Connors

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Hi Anthony;

First, to answer your question, short answer is yes, since I was 19, which was 37 years ago. I've been a member of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada, which is part of the international Traditional Anglican Communion, since 1994. You can find out more about the TAC here, if you're interested:
http://www.acahome.org/tac/index.htm

For a longer answer, please check out this column I posted on Applelinks in April, 2001:
http://www.applelinks.com/mooresviews/credo.shtml

Some of the links no longer work, alas.

As to Apple products on T.V., Apple has been very successful with product placement over the years, such as in Felicity, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Home Improvement, and countless other shows, on which the Apple logo has been prominently displayed.

However, I have noted the phenomenon you mention with Mac laptops and disguised Apple logos. I'm inclined to think it's not anti-Apple sentiment, but just a decision on the part of the director or producer to downplay display of product branding. I expect they would do the same with PC machines' logos.

There would be no copyright issue with the Apple logo being visible, because Apple deliberately makes sure that it is on every Mac 'Book.

In the Wikipedia entry on product placement, it is noted:

"...Apple Computer frequently places its products in films and on television, where they therefore seem much more common than in most real-world offices and homes. Apple has stated that it does not pay for product placement, though executives will not say how their products get into movies and onto TV. The most plausible argument may be that Apple computers appear to be more visually appealing than ordinary PCs. (Notably, recognizable Apple products have appeared in newspaper comic strips, including Opus, Baby Blues, Non Sequitur, and FoxTrot, even though paid placement in comics is all but unknown.) In a twist on traditional product placement, Hewlett-Packard computers now appear exclusively as part of photo layouts in the IKEA catalog in addition to placing plastic models of its computers in IKEA stores, having taken over Apple's position in the Swedish furniture retailer's promotional materials several years ago. Hewlett-Packard also put their computers in the US production of The Office, though it is likely that this was a purposeful choice, since offices rarely have Macintosh computers."

You might also find this Washington Post article interesting
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/14/AR2006041401670.html

Charles

*** cmoore@macopinion.com

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